The 59-year-old television presenter made her way into third position on the annual list after she was recognised for being an ''unwavering source of light in a world fuelled by anger'', but was pipped to the post by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who came second, and political journalist Rachel Maddow, who claimed the winning crown.

'Thinkin' Bout You' hitmaker Frank - who came out as gay in 2012 but believes he first fell in love with a man when he was 19 years old - found himself in 12th place after the magazine praised him for bringing ''male pronouns into romantic mainstream R&B'', while 'Orange is the New Black' star Laverne followed closely behind in 14th position.

The 33-year-old actress - who became the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the acting category - has been recognised for being a ''reigning trans icon'' and, although she shot into the limelight for playing Sophia Burset on the Netflix series, her acting work is now ''just a small part of her own revolution.''

Ellen - who came out as gay during a speech at the Human Rights Campaign's Time to Thrive conference in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2014 - took 15th place for her commitment to'' tracking the living conditions of LGBTQ people around the world'', as well as ''tackling a full slate of upcoming film projects.''

A number of fashion designers, including Michael Kors, Raf Simons and Tom Ford, also made it onto the publication's recognition list but found themselves in the middle spectrum - coming 21st, 26th and 30th, respectively.

Caitlyn Jenner - who was known as Bruce Jenner until she underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2015 - was also recognised for the ''crucial'' role she plays in the LGBTQ community, although the ''controversy'' she causes meant she dropped into 44th place, while Mark Takano - a U.S. Representative from California - concluded the list.